


Brighter Than Sunshine

by RoksanaLyasin



Series: Sunny Stories [2]
Category: Dragon Age, Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age II
Genre: Action, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, POV Varric Tethras, Prompt Fic, Protective Varric Tethras, Tumblr Ask Box Fic, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-21
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2018-11-16 21:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11261571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RoksanaLyasin/pseuds/RoksanaLyasin
Summary: If you lay a hand on Varric's Sunshine, you best be prepared to get a kiss from Bianca.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [LadyNorbert](https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyNorbert/gifts).



> **Dragon Age Prompt** | Click [here](https://roksanalyasin.tumblr.com/post/162077669927/brighter-than-sunshine-prompt) to read it on Tumblr.  
>  **“Hold on, Sunshine, I’m coming!” prompt for[ladynorbert](http://ladynorbert.tumblr.com/)**  
>  **Rating:** Teen.  
>  **Pairing:** Varric Tethras/Bethany Hawke.  
>  **Fic Title inspired by:** [‘Brighter than Sunshine’](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpDNfwIrx1M) by Aqualung.

Hawke moved closer, crouching beside Varric as they surveyed the base of the stairs, the moonlight revealing a shadowy form at the bottom of the pathway.

‘Think you can make that shot?’

Varric glanced at his companion. ‘Did you really just ask me that?’

‘Have to make sure you’re not losing your touch, don’t I?’

Varric rolled his eyes, returning his attention to his aim.  He stared down the length of his crossbow, a smirk on his lips as he whispered, ‘Bianca, baby, introduce yourself!’

The arrow whistled through the air, the silent nail in the coffin for the bandit lying in wait.  The sharp tip hit home, the target dropping where he stood with no more than a shuddering breath and a satisfying thump.   

Hawke led the way down the stairs and into the open as they prepared to face their foes. ‘We’ve only got a few more minutes before the patrol returns. Let’s get a party ready for them,’ he said as he drew his blades, rolling his shoulder.

The four companions grouped together, Aveline taking the lead as they heard the bandits approach, her shield at the ready.  Raucous laughter signalled the bandits’ arrival, their footsteps faltering as their gazes fell upon their fallen companion.

Varric glanced at Hawke. ‘Can we wrap this up, sooner rather than later?’ he said, ‘I’ve got a date.’

‘Element of surprise, I guess.’ Hawke offered a final grin to his companions before his form became hazy, his presence marked only by a ripple in the air.

Varric tensed for the fight, holding Bianca at the ready as the bandits entered the courtyard proper.  Recognition passed through their gazes as they laid eyes on the four companions, the air growing thick with tension before they sprinted forward in a rage. 

Varric burst into the fray, ignoring Aveline’s chastising as his arrows hit home. ‘Somebody order a shot in the face?’ he asked as the bandit dropped at his feet, and somewhere across the courtyard, he heard Hawke’s bark of laughter. 

‘I like your attitude as always Varric!’ Hawke shouted as he cut down another bandit, daggers shining with blood in the moonlight as he performed his violent dance, so fast that he turned to a blur, ‘Come on, just a few more!’

‘Careful, brother!’ Bethany cried as she cast her spells, staff whipping rapidly through the air as she froze a bandit before her eyes.  Aveline crashed through the man’s brittle body before she turned to draw attention off Hawke as a trio surrounded the rogue. 

Varric felt a renewed surge of vigour burn through his blood at his companions’ daring, a grin on his lips as he dodged and ducked the desperate flailing of their enemy, arrows sailing, bandits dropping all around them as they fought.

He spun on his toes as he heard heavy boots rushing up behind.  He’d expected a second group to hear the sounds of combat, but the sight that greeted him was chilling as twenty – _Maker, no_ – thirty bandits surged through the passage on the opposite side of the courtyard, releasing a cry as they surged into the fray.

‘Careful! They're sneaking around behind us!’

Varric sent out a hail of arrows as his companions moved to meet the attack.  They cut down the initial charge but more followed, heavy boots stomping over their dead comrades as they marched into the fight, swarming around the group. 

The four companions fought with all their might, with shouts and cries of encouragement as they worked as one, each in tune with the others as they parried, cast, shot, or struck. 

Varric glanced around as much as he dared, gauging his location relative to his companions as the bandits’ numbers dwindled.  Hawke and Aveline were close by engaged in hand to hand combat and Bethany–

‘Sunshine! Watch out for the big guy!’

He aimed, arrow sailing, the sharp head digging through the thick muscle of the bandit’s chest.

_Too late_. 

Even across the courtyard, even though the din of the fight he heard the breath leave her lungs, heard the sharp stutter of her pained cry pain before she collapsed. 

‘Hold on, Sunshine, I’m coming!’

He sprinted across the cobblestone, shooting every bandit in his path as he charged towards her.  He took a final shot at the massive bandit that had dealt the blow, his arrow piercing the space between his beady eyes, sending him crashing down. 

Varric strapped Bianca to his back as sprinted the last few steps.  He dropped to his knees at her side, careful not to jostle her as he lifted her head onto his lap.  She hissed out a breath, a broken cry catching in her throat.

‘Shh, I got you, Sunshine, you’re all right,’ he whispered as he rooted around in his belt pouch for a potion.  He bit the cork, dragging it from the phial. ‘You’re gonna be just fine. Drink this.’

Boots skidded in the dirt and Hawke dropped to his knees beside Varric. ‘Bethany! Are you all right?’

‘She’ll be fine, Hawke,’ Varric said as he pressed the glass to her lips, tipping it slowly, paying little attention to the rogue who lingered beside him. 

Bethany coughed against the bitter taste of the elfroot, but swallowed, her breath returning to its normal rhythm.

‘See, she’s fine,' he said, mostly to reassure himself as he returned the empty phial to his belt pouch, 'give her some space. I’m sure these guys have plenty of coin in their pockets.’

Hawke laid a heavy hand on his shoulder, whispering his thanks before he moved to assist Aveline in the… clean up.

Varric did not even glance up as Hawke walked away, his focus on the mage in his arms.  He glanced at the jagged cut in her robes.  He lifted the torn fabric over the wound gingerly, breathing a sigh of relief to see the skin knitting back together as the potion took hold.

‘How’s it look?’

Varric met her gaze, smoothing back a few strands of her silken hair as her skin flushed with colour again, a soft rosy hue dusting her cheeks as the light returned to her gaze, her strength returning with it.  He helped her sit up, keeping a hand on her back to support her. 

Bethany smiled at him, a tentative curve of her lips, and he cupped her cheek to feel the warmth of her skin on his fingertips.  She covered the back of his hand with her own, leaning into his touch, and he felt his heart stammer in his chest when he met her sunny gaze.

He offered his most dashing smile. ‘You can’t weasel your way out of our date that easy, Sunshine.’


	2. Chapter 2

Not an hour earlier Varric had been in the middle of a fight with bandits – arrows and spells sailing all around, swords and axes clashing with heavy clangs – yet, he’d felt nothing but exhilaration. He’d been giddy with it, in fact, laughing and joking with Hawke as they competed for the highest number of bandits downed. Now, though, as he stood outside the back door to the Hanged Man with a flower in hand, his hair swept back into a neat ponytail and his jacket freshly cleaned, feeling more preened than he had in his entire life, he wondered if he’d be able to face his task, a task he had agreed to this very morning, more boldly than he could have imagined, without his knees collapsing from beneath him.

No matter how much he tried to settle it, Varric’s toes tapped furiously on the cobblestone, foot bouncing in time with the erratic beating of his heart, the thunderous rhythm that he was sure the passers-by could hear. He remained stoically in place, refusing to let the nerves move him, yet he nearly jumped two feet in the air when he heard footsteps to his left.

‘Varric, are you out here?’ A voice called softly, and his heart beat impossibly faster when he recognised the sweet tone. He fumbled with his coat again, sucking in a few wavering breaths, his fingers white-knuckled around the flower stem. 

‘You got this, Varric. You got this,’ he muttered to himself between breaths, shaking almost as much as the petals.

Bethany rounded the corner, and any breath he’d held was lost to her bright smile, her eyes shining golden in the moonlight as she approached. All nerves fled under the light of her gaze and he stepped forward to meet her.

‘Sunshine, you made it.’

‘Of course I did,’ she said, pausing in front of him, twisting her hands together. She worried her bottom lip. ‘I’ve been looking forward to this all day.’

‘Do–’ he cleared his throat– ‘do you like the dress I sent you? And the necklace?’

Bethany’s smile brightened and she reached up instinctively to touch the amber teardrop nestled between her collarbones, the delicate gold chain sparkling around her neck. ‘They’re wonderful, Varric. I feel very spoilt.’

‘Only the best for m’lady,’ he said, glancing down at the flower in his hand as if only just remembering he held it, ‘speaking of, this is for you.’

He offered her the flower and she accepted it, bringing the sweetly scented petals closer. ‘It’s lovely, Varric.’

‘ _You_ are lovely, Sunshine,’ he said, holding out his arm. Bethany linked her arm with his, and he felt his heart stutter in his chest as they strolled along the cobblestone streets, working their way up to Hightown. The streets and laneways still bustled with merchants and nobles even at the late hour but nestled in a quiet corner they found a softly lit restaurant. Candles flickered through coloured glass, patterns dancing around the room as they were seated. To Varric’s surprise, no one batted an eyelash at a stocky dwarf escorting such a beauty as Bethany Hawke, his smile growing a little wider, a little brighter as they ordered their meals and a bottle of wine.  

Even after sharing a hearty dinner, Varric was still unable to believe that he was sitting across from her, still unable to believe that she was _smiling_ at him so fondly. They’d talked about everything and nothing. They’d laughed over stories of their adventures together in Kirkwall, and even delved into the hard parts of their past, yet they’d avoided the most obvious conversation: they’d taken this first step… what next?

 _Will there even be a next?_ Varric wondered.

Bethany leant on her palm, the soft light of the candles dancing around her. Varric had often caught himself staring, a little too intently, he thought, but she was a wondrous woman. Every part of her was so delicate, from the soft slope of her shoulders beneath the blue silk sleeves to the glossy curls that framed her face, but beneath her glowing façade, he knew there lay a fierce, strong-willed fighter.

He couldn’t be more proud.

‘I have to admit, I was a little surprised when I got your letter this morning,’ Bethany said, sweeping a stray curl behind her ear.

Varric rubbed the back of his neck. ‘Well, I would have dropped it off earlier, but as you saw last night when you came for a visit I was sort of…’ He chuckled. ‘Well, as I said, romance isn’t my strong suit.’

‘You’ve been pretty good at it so far,’ she whispered, glancing down, fidgeting with the pendant on her necklace, ‘I’m glad you said something, Varric.’

‘Sunshine?’

A smile danced on her lips. ‘For a while now I thought maybe there was something between us. We’d share these long glances, or our hands would touch at the table in the Hanged Man or as we walked and I could feel a… a spark.’ She giggled, cheeks flushing. ‘It sounds so silly to say it out loud but I was sure there was something. Still, with every step I took closer you seemed to take two back. I was starting to think I was reading into things too much and then… well, then I got your letter.’

Varric snapped his jaw shut tight, refusing to let it hang as Bethany reached across the table, delicate fingers dancing over the back of his palm. Her skin was warm and soft, so at odds with his callouses and cracked knuckles, her fingers long and slender, pale against his stocky, sun-kissed fingers, yet for the first time, he allowed himself to believe that they belonged together.

‘Sunshine, are you saying what I think you’re saying?’

‘I’m glad you asked me on this date,’ she said, a soft blush dusting her cheeks at the admission, ‘I’ve been hoping you would for a while. In fact, I was beginning to wonder if I would have to ask you myself.’

‘Good thing I got my act together.’ Varric chuckled again, his heart stuttering as she traced patterns on the back of his palm. He glanced to the side, finding the surrounding tables empty, the candles burning out. ‘Hey, what do you say we blow this joint and go find that view?’

Bethany smiled, their fingers entwining. They strolled slowly across the cobblestone, hand in hand, the streets quiet and still in the late evening, and as they neared his ‘secret’ spot Varric felt his heart begin to skip again. He’d found this place by chance weeks ago in the middle of the night, when he’d needed to clear his mind, to find the right words. Now, he wondered if he’d be able to find any words at all.  

‘Do you trust me, Sunshine?’

‘Of course.’

‘Close your eyes.’

Bethany giggled, making a show of covering her eyes with her hands. Varric was proud of his daring as he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her along a final path. He warned her of the steps, guiding her up carefully one by one, supporting her as they finally reached the top.

‘Okay, Sunshine,’ he said, ‘open your eyes.’

Bethany dropped her hands slowly. Her breath hitched as her golden gaze fell upon the city, the light of the moon and stars sparkling above caressing the rooftops of the buildings below, candlelit lanterns dancing between streets.

‘Oh Varric,’ she whispered, leaning on the stone ledge in wonder, ‘I’ve never seen Kirkwall like this. It’s so beautiful.’

Varric smiled up at her, eyes tracing the pert tip of her nose, the soft curve of her lips that blossomed into a smile brighter than any moon or sun. Truth be told, he couldn’t care less about the view of Kirkwall in this moment, not when he could bask in Sunshine.

‘Yeah,’ he said finally, unable to hide the smile on his lips, ‘yeah it is.’  


End file.
